How would YOU cycle YOUR tank?

[reefinginBD]

Don't cycle with fish. It's cruel, and it isn't even the best method. Real live rock from the ocean will have you cycled in a week or so. If you don't want to do that, dose bacteria and ghost feed. It'll take a little longer, but it'll work.

I will use dry rock in the main display. True ocean live rocks from the ocean are not available here, but there is this store that sells wet dry rock which they left in a tank that they ghost feed all the time and those rocks also have copepods on them. I can use this but I am afraid that the copepods will not survive the cycle and that they will not have any food during the cycle. Live phyto is not available here. Or else I will just use bottled bacteria. Also um do you think that the bacteria from the rock and the copepods would eventually make it into the display tank if I only put the rock into the sump and not the display tank? Do let me know! Thanks!

 

[reefinginBD]

you are going to be putting fish food in this tank

so, do a testless cycle that cannot fail using that tool you're already going to use

set up the entire tank with rock

input two pinches of fish food ground into powder

wait 30 days, it's cycled, and no testing is required because this can't fail. there isn't any home on earth in which this arrangement wouldn't cycle, so it's testless, we don't need to verify that which is guaranteed and already tracked a thousand times here.

if you are getting live rock that comes from another holding reef tank, then when you move it over it's already cycled. you get to skip the cycle in this case, transferring live rock does not cause dieoff. cured aquarium rock moves tank to tank just fine, without death. I assume you aren't going to be ordering rock from the ocean, so curing it won't apply
here. if you have dry rock, the testless cycle is stated above. if you have real cured live rock from an aquarium, that's a skip cycle and it's testless because moving rocks doesn't harm anything.

I will use dry rock in the main display. True ocean live rocks from the ocean are not available here, but there is this store that sells wet dry rock which they left in a tank that they ghost feed all the time and those rocks also have copepods on them. I can use this but I am afraid that the copepods will not survive the cycle and that they will not have any food during the cycle. Live phyto is not available here. Or else I will just use bottled bacteria. Also um do you think that the bacteria from the rock and the copepods would eventually make it into the display tank if I only put the rock into the sump and not the display tank?
What I can do is, set up the tank and feed it powder fish food for 5-7 days and then add the rock and some bacteria once some ammonia has appeared. Do let me know if this will work or if there is another better way. Thanks!

 

[reefinginBD]

00W nice call. that's exactly why for 30 years marine conventions ran without a hitch, hundreds of fully stocked display tanks were ready by a given friday :)

none were waiting out in the parking lot, for permission from API ammonia to get started.

worried about a partial cycle or a weaker cycle than a 30 day wait? we don't need to be, that's old cycling science ( I know you know this ) new cycling science knows xferring in already live rock is a skip cycle any decade we want to run it. I figure he'll be on dry rock because finding a hundred pounds of wet cured rock is too costly/I could be wrong though and cured rock is certainly better, I'll never own a dry start reef. I'll find cured rock to xfer in or I won't be reefing.

I'll probably be starting with AF rock or some other type of dry rock. True Live rock is not available here or else I would have definitely gone with that. But there is this store that sells wet dry rock which they left in a tank that they ghost feed all the time and those rocks also have copepods on them. I can use this but I am afraid that the copepods will not survive the cycle and that they will not have any food during the cycle. Live phyto is not available here. Or else I will just use bottled bacteria. Also um do you think that the bacteria from the rock and the copepods would eventually make it into the display tank if I only put the rock into the sump and not the display tank? Do let me know! Thanks!

 

[jmoneyyy703]

This is what I did and it worked out well. Started with dry rock/dry sand and didnt have a dino problem.

• Start with lights, UV sterilizer, and skimmer off, and no filter socks.
• Dose 0.5 mL of Nitrocycle per gallon of tank water to achieve an ammonia level of 3ppm.
• Dose 1 oz. (29 ml) TurboStart 900 per 25 gallons.
• Soak a Genesis Rock in PNS Substrate Sauce and add to sump.
• Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate daily.
• Once aquarium has cycled do a water change if needed and add two clownfish.
• Turn on lights for a 6-hour photoperiod at max 20% output.
• Add filter socks and turn on skimmer to break it in but let it drain into the sump.
• Test nitrate and phosphate daily.
• Dose 5280 Pods and Oceanmagik live phyto.
• One week after clownfish are introduced begin dosing AF Life Source mud (20mL of aquarium water and 10ml per of AF Life Source for every 27 gallons).
• Continue testing nitrate and phosphate every 2 to 4 days. If nitrate and/or phosphate gets too low add more bio load (fish), feed heavier, and/or dose NeoNitro and/or NeoPhos. If nitrate and phosphate get too high start collecting skimmate, dose MicroBacter7 (5 ml per 50 gallons), and/or do water change.
• When algae starts to appear on the glass add CUC.

This is pretty close to what I am doing new for a 200. Just started mud. Also added coraline in bottle (purple/pink helix) and microbacterclean. About to add UV to process. Going to be cycling for 4months. Tried faunamarin bacto products too. But at this point no idea if this stuff is causing good effects in long run.

 

[reefinginBD]

This is pretty close to what I am doing new for a 200. Just started mud. Also added coraline in bottle (purple/pink helix) and microbacterclean. About to add UV to process. Going to be cycling for 4months. Tried faunamarin bacto products too. But at this point no idea if this stuff is causing good effects in long run.

Can you tell me what the mub does and how you are supposed to use it, for how long and all. Do let me know.

 

[brandon429]

Any rock that comes wet with copepods is pre cycled, and can't lose its bacteria when transferred

There's no aspect of adding fish food to a tank that will kill anything during a cycle. So if you use that pre wetted rock you're skip cycled, and if you use a mix just do the two pinches of food and wait a month and it'll all be cycled.

 

[BigMonkeyBrain]

Hey guys, I’ll be setting up a 150 gallon tank and I’m kind of debating on how to cycle it. The problem is that ammonia in a bottle is not available here and I kind of don’t want to cycle the tank with raw shrimp or anything. I plan on cycling the tank with mollies and was wondering how many of them I would need to cycle a 150 gallon tank? I will also dose with bacteria before adding the fish.

I cycled my 40-gallon half tank for frags with fancy Guppies since I like the pretty fish and have a few. I had not received my sand, salt, or rock yet so ro water with baking soda was used to raise PH. I knew I was creating a bio-film, temp up two degrees a day to 86-F. An old large powerhead with a fine foam filter was used that moved water past a filter plate from an established freshwater tank. Also, I wiped the inside of the tank with filter material from the same tank and cleaned the same filter material in the tank water.

After my marine supplies arrived I added 1-cup of salt in a bowl a day to the tank until I reached 1.020 and then added the sand and rock.

Probably happens !

 

[Jaz M.]

Hey guys, I’ll be setting up a 150 gallon tank and I’m kind of debating on how to cycle it. The problem is that ammonia in a bottle is not available here and I kind of don’t want to cycle the tank with raw shrimp or anything. I plan on cycling the tank with mollies and was wondering how many of them I would need to cycle a 150 gallon tank? I will also dose with bacteria before adding the fish.

Just started my 20G AIO
I used the new aquaforest hybrid pro salt. It’s got bacteria in it. Along with Dr. Tim’s bacteria and ammonia and dosed daily with Microbacter7.
pretty awesome. Tank cycled in 2 weeks. After 2 weeks added copepods with some Phyto and so far so good 4 weeks later

 

[areefer01]

Hey guys, I’ll be setting up a 150 gallon tank and I’m kind of debating on how to cycle it. The problem is that ammonia in a bottle is not available here and I kind of don’t want to cycle the tank with raw shrimp or anything. I plan on cycling the tank with mollies and was wondering how many of them I would need to cycle a 150 gallon tank? I will also dose with bacteria before adding the fish.

Grab a book. Martin Moe's beginner to breeder is a good one. Hit up your grocery store or butcher or sea food person and ask them for a couple pieces of shrimp / prawns. Go home, test ammonia level of the display, mark the calendar, set a reminder to test ammonia in a couple days, toss in the shrimp/prawns, and the cycle has started. Couple bucks if that.

Put on some music and relax like Frankie. Bob's your Uncle.

 

[Cool Fish]

Best way I found is to do it naturally. Set up your tank with Live Rock, sand , and refugium. Turn on your main pump and let it all settle in for about 6-8 weeks and let it run a natural cycle without lights. Then add a one small fish, perhaps a clown, and see how it goes. Good Luck!

 

[petepratti]

This is what I did and it worked out well. Started with dry rock/dry sand and didnt have a dino problem.

• Start with lights, UV sterilizer, and skimmer off, and no filter socks.
• Dose 0.5 mL of Nitrocycle per gallon of tank water to achieve an ammonia level of 3ppm.
• Dose 1 oz. (29 ml) TurboStart 900 per 25 gallons.
• Soak a Genesis Rock in PNS Substrate Sauce and add to sump.
• Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate daily.
• Once aquarium has cycled do a water change if needed and add two clownfish.
• Turn on lights for a 6-hour photoperiod at max 20% output.
• Add filter socks and turn on skimmer to break it in but let it drain into the sump.
• Test nitrate and phosphate daily.
• Dose 5280 Pods and Oceanmagik live phyto.
• One week after clownfish are introduced begin dosing AF Life Source mud (20mL of aquarium water and 10ml per of AF Life Source for every 27 gallons).
• Continue testing nitrate and phosphate every 2 to 4 days. If nitrate and/or phosphate gets too low add more bio load (fish), feed heavier, and/or dose NeoNitro and/or NeoPhos. If nitrate and phosphate get too high start collecting skimmate, dose MicroBacter7 (5 ml per 50 gallons), and/or do water change.
• When algae starts to appear on the glass add CUC.

Invaluable response. Thanks.